Self locking container



' 73 Assignee United States Patent Bobby L. Wilson Washington Court House, Ohio 785,523

Dec. 20, 1968 Dec. 1, 1970 The Mead Corporation Dayton, Ohio a corporation 01' Ohio [72] inventor [21] Appl. No.

[22] Filed [45] Patented [54] SELF LOCKING CONTAINER 2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl. 229/36 [51] Int. Cl 865d [50] Field olSearch 229/31, 33,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,169,065 3/ 1939 Cole 229/36 2,531,507 11/1950 Goodyear 229/33 2,925,212 2/1960 229/36 3,023,945 3/1962 229/45X 3,355,086 11/1967 229/31 3,357,630 12/1967 Michelitsch 229/45 Primary Examiner-Davis T. Moorhead, Jr. Altorneylohn W. Donahue ABSTRACT: A hinged cover self-locking container having a reversely folded locking flap struck out from a closure panel. The closure panel is closed interiorly of a locking panel thereby causing the locking flap to come into mating engagement with an exteriorly inaccessible locking recess in the locking panel. The closure panel is provided with a rearwardly recessed bracing flap for maintaining positive locking engagement while permitting limited inward swinging of the closure panel during the closing sequence.

Patent ed Dec. 1; 1970 Q 3,543,995 v I Sheet L o 1 2 IN VENTOR. poser L. WILSON A T TORNE Y BY W U.

Paten ed Dec. 1, 1970 y 3,543,995

Sheet 3 912 INVENTOR. 8088) L. WILSON ATTORNEY SELF LOCKING commas BACKGROUND or THE mvsmou This invention relates to the field of self-locking containers and has particular application to aclass of container referred to as pilferproof or tamper-resistant. In containers of this type it is important to provide a lock which engages automatically upon closure and which is unaccessible from the outside. Most desirably such containers-are constructed and assembled with no exposed flaps thereby requiring a tearing of the carton for entry. Containers of this typeprovide visible evidence of tampering and therefore are well adapted for shipment of electrical appliances, cookware, and the like.

The prior container art in'this general field is well illustrated in Groves US. Pat. No. 2,100,644. While Groves carton is extremely well suited for the above mentioned use, the locking device is nonintegral and somewhat inconvenient to, use. Examples of good self-locking integral locks are disclosed in Layne US. Pat. No. 3,023,945 and Carter U.S. Pat.- No. 3,291,367. These latter locks however are designed for use in cooperating pairs and therefore are somewhat restricted in the style of container to which they-may be applied. In particular the Layne and Carter locks are unsuitable for application to the Groves container. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides an improved, exteriorly inaccessible and integral locking feature for use with hinged cover containers. The improved locking function is accomplished by a reversely folded locking flap in mating engagement with a locking recess. The locking flap is foldably attached to a closure panel which is in turn foldably joined to a cover panel. The locking recess is provided in the inner wall of a plural wall front panel. To insure positive engagement of the locking flap with the locking recess there may be provided a bracing flap in foldable attachment with a side of the closure panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodiment of the present invention is set up from a blank 1, as shown in FIG. 1 which is divided by score lines 14 through 23 into a cover panel 2, a rear panel 3, a bottom panel 4, a front panel 5, a locking panel 6,. side panels 7, 7, tucking flaps 8, 8, wing flaps 9, 9, side flaps 10, 10, a closure panel 11, a locking flap l2, and a bracing flap 13. Locking recess 24 is provided in locking panel 6 for mating engagement with locking flap-12 as hereinafter described. Locking tabs 27, 27 are provided for locking engagement with locking slots 26, 26. Bracing flap 13 is rearwardly recessed as at 25 for enabling limited inward swinging of closure panel 11 as will be subsequently explained.

Blank l is set up into a carton 29 as shown in partially erected condition in FIG. 2. As the erection and closing action continues, side flaps 10, will be inserted inside side panels 7, 7 thereby bearing rearwardly against wing flaps 9, 9 and thrusting cover panel 2 and closure panel 11 forwardly toward front panel 5 and locking panel 6.

edge of bracin gofclap 13 bears against the under surface of cover panel 2. king flap 12 is simultaneously forced reversely back against closure panel 11. Preferably side flaps 10, 10 are forwardly rounded to-facilitate their clearance past the container front wall during the aforesaid closing action.

When the container is fully closed as shown in FIG. 4, locking flap 12 bears against the upper surface of locking recess 24 thereby. preventing any opening of the container cover. A positive locking action is guaranteed by the natural resiliency of locking flap 12 and by the tendency of bracing flap 13 to limit inward swinging of closure panelll. Alternatively, for a container which is to be fully loaded with a forwardly bearing content, bracing flap 13 may be eliminated.

Iclaim:

1. In a folding carton comprising: a cover panel, a rear panel foldably joined to the cover panel at the rear thereof, a bottom panel foldably joined to the rear panel at the bottom thereof, a front panel foldably joined to the bottom panel at the front thereof, a locking panel foldably joined to the front panel at the top thereof and extending inwardly down into engagement with the bottom panel, a pair of side panels joined to the bottom panel and folded upwardly from the sides thereof, a pair of tucking flaps each foldably joined to the front of a side panel and inserted between the front panel and the locking panel, at least one inwardly. extending wing flap foldably joined to a side panel at the rear thereof, a pair of downwardly extending side flaps foldably joined to the cover panel at opposite sides thereof and disposed inwardly of the side panels thereby causing one side flap to bear rearwardly against said wing flap, and a closure panel foldably joined to the cover panel at the front thereof and extending downwardly in inward disposition from said locking panel; the improved locking feature comprising a locking recess in said locking panel, an upwardly extending locking flap foldably joined to the closure panel and reversely folded therefrom into mating relationship with said locking recess, and a rearwardly recessed and interiorly disposed bracing flap. foldably joined to one side of the closure panel for limiting inward swinging of said panel and maintaining the locking flap in mating relationship with the locking recess.

2. A self-locking container comprising: a body including rear, side, and bottom panels and a plural-wall front panel; a cover panel foldably joined to the rear panel; a closure panel foldably joined to the cover'panel at the front thereof and extending downwardly in inward disposition from the inner wall of said plural-wall front panel; a locking recess in the inner wall of-said plural-wall front panel; an upwardly extending locking flap foldably joined to the closure panel and reversely folded therefrom into mating relationship with said locking recess; and an interiorly disposed bracing flap foldably joined to one side of the closure panel for maintaining the locking flap in mating relationship with the locking recess by limiting inward swinging of the closure panel. 

